


A Pause After Battle

by Amrywiol



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Gen, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 23:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4684799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrywiol/pseuds/Amrywiol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most stories I've read about the evil study group confronting the prime timeline group usually end at the same place, with the evil group banished. This short piece instead starts at that point and looks at what happens next.</p><p>(Note: this story now has a prequel, "A Mirror, Crack'd", written almost a year after this. It's entirely up to the reader which order they're read in...).</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Pause After Battle

Jeff sighed with relief and slumped forward slightly. The incursion of the evil study group had been driven back - and just how crazy was it that that one of Abed’s fantasies had turned out to be true - and everyone was still alive, even if Abed and Shirley were accompanying Pierce and Troy to the hospital and Britta was helping Hickey and the Dean organise a clean up.

He turned to Annie, expecting to see her as relieved as he was. Instead she looked thoughtful, sad even, and didn’t seem to want to look him in the eye.

“What’s the matter, Annie?” He said with sudden concern.

 She was silent for a moment, then she sighed. “They were so happy together, Jeff.” She said eventually.

 “Who?” He said, though he had a sinking feeling that he knew what the answer was.

 “Our duplicates, evil Jeff and evil Annie. They were crazy about each other -”

 “They were just crazy, Annie.” Jeff interrupted. He didn’t like where this was going at all. “They came here to kill us and steal our lives!”

 “Whatever else was wrong with them, they cared about each other Jeff. I was their prisoner remember? I saw them together - they revelled in each other’s company, they were passionate, they were happy and they didn’t give a damn what anybody else thought so long as they were together!” She turned to face him and this time she met his stare. “They were _happy_ Jeff!”

 “What do you want me to say, Annie?”

 “I want you to tell me why we don’t deserve to be as happy as a one-armed psychopath and an insane mass murderer Jeff.” He winced slightly. “I want you to tell me why whatever else we have going on is more important than what they found when they came together.”

 “Annie, it’s more -”

“Don’t you dare say complicated, Jeff.”

 Annie, I’m sorry, but -”

 "Do you know what evil Jeff said to me after you captured his Annie?”

 Jeff sighed. “No, Annie.”

 “He said he would use the technology they used to come here to burn down whole universes to get her back if that’s what it took, and he’d laugh over the ashes if she was by his side. Then he laughed when I told him you once said you’d be prepared to work up a light sweat for me.”

 “It took a lot more than a light sweat to take her, Annie. And that was for you.” But the fight was going out of Jeff.

 Annie actually smiled a little at that. Then she continued. “And do you know what she said to me when we all met up for the prisoner exchange just before they opened up the portal back to her world?”

 Jeff had nothing left to say. Annie walked towards him until she was only inches away from him. He voice dropped down to a whisper.

 “She said my Jeff would never make me as happy as her Jeff made her because my Jeff cared about too many things that weren’t me.”

 “Annie, I really don’t know what to say to you.” Jeff was slipping into despair.

 “She’s right, isn’t she? I care about you, Jeff and I’m even prepared to accept you care about me, so long as things are cute and safe. But you care more about what other people think about you, don’t you? You’d rather be cool and popular than happy.”

 “Annie, I really do care about you. But -”

 “No buts, Jeff. I’m going to the hospital now to see how Troy and Pierce are. You’ve got no excuses left Jeff, you’ve seen we work together - our evil twins showed us that at least - you have until I get back to decide if we are everything to each other or if we’re nothing. I’m tired of playing games, let me know what you’ve decided when I get back.”

She turned her back on him and walked out. Jeff watched her go until she was out of sight. She didn’t once hesitate or look back.

 


End file.
